Extensible hem.



W. C. ROWLAND.

EXTENSIBLE HEM.

APPLICATION FILED H112, 1910.

Patented .m 31, 1911.l

WILLIAM C. BOWLAND, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.'

EXTENSIBLE HEM.

Specification of Letters Patent. i'

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

application mea nprn4 1a, 1910. serial No. 555,017.

l To all whom 'it may concern:

, duck trousers; but is applicable to other trousers and to sleeves; and therefore, its application is not limited to any specific class of sleeves or legs of garments.

In the following, a fully and clear description of the invention is given; referlenceheing had to the drawings, which form part of this application, and in which similar numerals designate similar parts lthroughout the several views, and in wl1ich,-'

Figure 1 is a` fragmental vertical section of a trouser leg adjacent to a side seam of said trouser leg, at the bottom hem, thel trousers being ready to wear before being washed and extended. A Fig. 2 is-a similar section taken intermediate of the side seams,

, the trousers being compactly pressed. Fig.

Sis a section on the same line as Fig. 2,

the trousers bein in a stage of the lengthening process. ig. 4 is a section on the same line as that of Figs. 2 and 8, the trousers .having been lengthened and ress'ed; and,--Fig. 5 is a pers ective view o a fragmental section, the fo ds of cloth bein separated at the sectioned edges thereo All the views are on Va greatly enlarged scale.

In, these drawings, thenumeral 7, designatesthe portion of a trouser leg, external to and extending above the hem. This said portion will hereinafter .be designated asv the body portion. The si'de seam of said trousers is designated 8, and the portion which primarily forms the lower extremity of the hem, 49. After lengthening, by letting out the hem, the lower portion 1s 1.0.

In the manufacture of garments embodying this invention, the lower hem thereof is Vmade substantially as shown in Figs.` 3 and -garment to its proper measurement.

4 of the drawings, and of a length sulicient to -allow for usual shrinkage, the hem being 0f suliicient width to be folded within itself, thereby decreasing the length of the This inwardly folded portion will hereinafter be known as the intermediate fold 15, and this fold merges into an outer fold 14, and into an inner fold 13; the latter said fold extending upward and being secured by proper means to the interior of the said body portion, the outer fold being an extension of said body portion.

The manner in which each'fold merges into each succeeding one is clearly obvious and needs no further description, save to specify that the entire construction is of a single piece'. i

Any proper means may be employed for retaining these folds in proper relation; but the means here shown and described, is that of several stitches on each side of the side seam of the garment, as at l1.

The lower extremity v12, of the inner fold 13, is preferably higher than that 0f the outer fold 14, and it is preferable that the intermediate fold 15, shall not overlap the y,downturned edge 16. The relation between fthis down-turned rportion and its adjuncts is such that the former serves to-graduate the thickness of the upper portion of the hem, to prevent an unsightly ridge fromappearing exteriorly ofthe garment, opposite 'to the top of the inner fold, atv 15", and to-` obviate an internal abrupt ridge opposite to said 15L which would increase the wear at that point.

By` the construction shown, the intermediate fold is heldin and outer folds and b The object stated t e stitches 11. or this invention is most satisfactorily attained by the :following course of procedure :-viz.,-Before washing the trousers, or garment, comprising this invention, the stitches 11, should first be severed and the intermediate fold -extended as in Fig. 3; thereby allowin free access of the washing materials to a the parts. After washing, the hem should be pressed out into a single hem as in Fig. 4, whereby .it would appear that the garment would be lengthened to approximately equal the distance 'between points 9 and 10; but owing to shrinkage of the cloth, the length before washing and after, will be 'within itself, the folded-in portion being secured between the inner and outer portions of said hem by groups* of stitches spaced apart at proper intervals, an edge of said material being turned down and .secured between the inner and outer portions o1 said heln, said edge terminating above and adjacent to the said folded in portion. 20

lWILLIAM C. ROWLAND. lVi tnesses z HERMAN XVEBER, HARRY R. RoWLAxD. 

